Principal's Post
Dear Craigslea Community,
The first 3 weeks of term 3 are done and dusted. It has been a positive start to the term with our students settling in to focus on their learning. Principal Afternoon Tea’s kicked off in Week 1 and I have enjoyed getting to know students a little better and talking to them about what they are proud of in their learning. These afternoon teas will continue each Friday alternating between P-2 and 3 – 6. It is such a fabulous way to end our week.
Our Learning Focus in 2024
Quality teaching to implement the Australian Curriculum is a core priority for our work this year. A strategy we are enacting to build our knowledge and skill as leaders and teachers is working with the leaders and teachers of other state schools. I am pleased for our school to be working with Aspley East SS and Bulimba SS.
This week members of our leadership team visited Bulimba SS for a learning walk and talk focussing on how they are using learning walls as a teaching tool in English. Later this term a group of our teachers will join Bulimba teachers to see how they plan for student success and use learning walls to build student efficacy. This coalition is a great way for our teachers to collaborate and learn to enhance learning opportunities for our students.
2024 – 2027 Strategic Plan
At this week’s P&C meeting I was able to share the finalised priorities for the next 4 years at Craigslea. The staff and I are currently working to identify the success criteria to measure our progress towards these priorities and the data we will use to ensure we are having a positive impact on student learning.
I am excited to share with you the 4 priorities. I will unpack these further over the coming newsletters and the upcoming Coffee & Connect session.
Priority 1: Provision of quality learning experiences for all students through a deep understanding of the Australian Curriculum, a whole school approach to differentiated teaching and learning and precise pedagogical choices within engaged and connected learning environments.
Priority 2: Continuing to grow the strengths of our high performing teams through professional learning to develop individual and collective capacity across our school to improve student outcomes and meet the current and future challenges of teaching.
Priority 3: Foster the wellbeing of all students through a whole school approach to the explicit teaching of personal and social capabilities so that our students become resilient lifelong learners able to respond positively and confidently to their changing world.
Priority 4: Embrace the diversity of our school by providing welcoming, inclusive and accessible learning environments and inviting stakeholder voice and partnership into our school’s teaching, learning and ways of working.
SAVE THE DATE: Coffee & Connect Session
Our first Coffee & Connect session will be held on Wednesday 15 May at 2pm. This term’s discussion topic will be the 2024 – 2027 Strategic Plan. Come along to learn and discuss our next four years at Craigslea. To RSVP please CLICK HERE by Tuesday 14 May.
Term 1 Parent Teacher Interviews
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on our Term 1 Parent Teacher format. The survey is now closed. We had 57 responses to the survey with the majority of these reporting a positive experience with the new format. The positives shared:
- the community feel
- streamlined approach to scheduling interviews
- opportunity to meet with specialist teachers
- ease of moving between interviews and accessibility
- interviews were on time
- opportunity to attend in the evening
- well organised
- interviews were all on one day
Some challenges that were consistently identified:
- noise making it difficult to hear
- time limits
- number of spaces available on the night
- privacy to discuss student information
Opportunities for next time shared:
- opportunity to meet with the TLTs
- split the event over 2 nights
- consider acoustic improvements to the hall
This feedback and the feedback from our teachers will be used to review and refine in preparation for Term 3 interviews.
Year 1/Infant Toilets Walkways
As part of our planned maintenance work the coverings for the walkways from the 2/3 CPA to the infants’ toilets and the year 1 building were replaced. This has really lifted this busy thoroughfare.
Prep Playground Upgrade
The demolition of the Prep playground commenced late this week. I know our Prep students will be excited to see the development of their new play space. Alternate play and eating spaces are currently being planned by Mrs Wiles and our Prep Teachers. I am looking forward to seeing this long-awaited project taking shape.
Travel Safe Committee
Last Thursday our P&C President and I met with representatives from the Department of Education, Queensland Transport, Brisbane City Council and Queensland Police to discuss opportunities to develop safe spaces for student drop off and pick up. These representatives were able to observe the challenges of student safety and traffic at the afternoon pick up. At the meeting ideas for safer alternatives were proposed and are currently being investigated. We will meet again in June.
ANZAC Day
It was wonderful to see so many of our students and families join us for the Kedron Wavell march and service on ANZAC day. I would like to thank Mrs Wiles and Mrs Marhinin for attending with the students. I am very much looking forward to being there in 2025.
Have a fabulous fortnight.
“We must seek to actively advance and promote students’ thinking if we are to produce students who are engaged learners and active thinkers able to communicate, innovate, collaborate and problem solve.” (Ron Ritchart, 2012)
Yours in Learning,
Melanie Rehm
Principal